


Bright Eyes

by robindrake93



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: Alive Luke Castellan, Anal Sex, Bottom Luke, First Time, M/M, Minor Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, One Shot, Oral Sex, POV First Person, Post-War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-26
Updated: 2020-05-26
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:48:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24382315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/robindrake93/pseuds/robindrake93
Summary: Percy asks for Luke's life and the Gods grant his request. Luke is left in Percy's custody.
Relationships: Luke Castellan/Percy Jackson
Comments: 28
Kudos: 242





	Bright Eyes

**Author's Note:**

> Don't reupload my fics. 
> 
> If you don't like the font color, click "Hide Creator's Style" at the top and it'll revert to black.
> 
> Inspired by the idea that Annabeth would be a horrible person to have sex with.

Twelve Gods looked down at me with faces grave and grim. Not a single one of them, not even my father, looked happy that I stood before them. “Do you understand, Luke Castellan?” Zeus asked me, voice booming like thunder. It shook the floor beneath my feet. 

My eyes were lowered, head bowed respectfully. I wasn’t worthy to look a single one of them in the eye and everyone in the room knew it. Instead, I looked at the bracelets that encircled my wrists. They were golden, in the form of snakes that were biting their own tails. Ouroboros; the cycle of life and death. They had told me that one would heal any wound or poison and the other would do worse than kill me if I left the boundaries of Camp Half-Blood. I didn’t know which was which; they looked identical. “I understand.” 

“Then it is done, by decree of Lord Zeus, king of the gods, lord of the sky.” Lightning flashed so brightly that it nearly blinded me even though I was still looking at the bracelets around my wrists. It smelled like ozone and my hair stood on end. I had a memory of being electrocuted in this throne room. If I focused on it, I could still feel the pain. 

Percy was summoned back into the throne room and I was placed into his custody. He had a weary look on his face that I recognized as something that had been on my own. He glanced at my wrist cuffs but didn’t comment on them. “We need to get to Camp Half-Blood now,” he said, all business. “Rachel stole my Pegasus.” There was venom in his voice.

Did he forget that he’d stolen that Pegasus from me? It didn’t seem to matter. We went to Camp Half-Blood and met the new Oracle. 

They gave me a room in the Big House, on the second floor. It didn’t have a lock but I didn’t care about such a trivial thing. This was my own room, something I’d only had two times in my entire life; once when I was a child and once when I was an adult. My adolescence had been spent homeless and uncomfortable or packed into the Hermes Cabin and uncomfortable. 

The room held a double bed, a dresser, a closet, an armchair in one corner, and two side tables beside the bed. The walls were baby blue, the trim was clean and white. The floors were real wood and didn’t creak or splinter beneath my feet. A large window took up a good portion of one wall. On my door, there was a sign with my name printed neatly and below that in smaller font it said _please knock first._ I didn’t have any trouble reading it, and realized that it was because it was written in Ancient Greek. 

“Percy, of course, can come and go as he pleases,” Chiron had said gently. His eyes were sad when he looked at me. “But the others should leave you alone. They don’t wander into the Big House very often anyway.” 

I nodded, mouth dry. 

Chiron pointed out the bathroom nearest to me, literally the door before mine, even though I knew every inch of the Big House. “That one is for you.” No one else got to use the bathrooms in the Big House. I would finally find out if the rumors about hot water were true. Chiron gave me a credit card. “You may use the computer in the study to order anything that you need within your restrictions.” 

I didn’t have any clothes except what was on my back, no possessions, nothing to keep me occupied. 

After that, I was left to my own devices. I was allowed to wander anywhere within Camp’s borders yet I didn’t want to leave the Big House. Not yet. So I wandered the halls of the Big House, learning where the floors creaked and rediscovering the old relics in the attic. Landon’s claw was still there, neatly tagged with handwriting that belonged to Chiron. Looking at it made my face hurt. 

There was a small library in the Big House living room and I spent long hours reading. Reading was still a challenge and everything was about the Gods, but it took my mind off my current situation. 

I ordered what I needed; clothes, toiletries more high end than what they sold in the camp store, my favorite books, a couple of things from adult websites that assured me my packages would be delivered in discreet boxes. Not that it mattered. Argus would be going through all of the packages before they made it to me. 

I waited for Percy to come to me. 

It took two weeks before he came to me. He found me in my room, stood in the doorway like he wasn’t sure that he should cross the threshold. His arms were crossed in front of his chest. 

I glanced up from my book and got caught in Percy’s eyes. “Hey, bright eyes,” I said. I don’t know where the words came from. I’d never called him bright eyes, it never even crossed my mind to do so. Yet, I couldn’t bring myself to call him cousin, as I’d done before, or by his name. 

Percy’s look of surprise melted into a small, pleased smile. It faded quickly. “Hey, Luke,” Percy said without any inflection in his tone. His expression was just as neutral. Why was he here? Why did it take him two weeks to come see me? The silence stretched between us. Percy shuffled. “How are you doing?” 

I suddenly found the cover of my book very interesting even though I’d seen it a dozen times. “Still alive,” I said. What did he want? My heart pounded uncomfortably hard against my chest. 

“Good,” Percy said. He bobbed his head like a bobblehead. “That’s good.” Another long, awkward silence. His gaze was fixated on the window beside me, though I knew he was still watching me with his peripherals. 

With my peripherals, I watched Percy leave.

Considering that we lived in the same house, it was fairly easy to avoid Dionysus but sometimes we were in the same place by accident. Well, it was an accident on my part. 

Tonight, it was the kitchen. I got my dinner out of the fridge to warm up in the microwave. The food just appeared there and Chiron had told me that I could eat it. I was standing at the microwave when the scent of crushed grapes wafted towards me. You don’t turn your back on a God. 

Dionysus stood at the fridge, pulling a can of Diet Coke from within. I saw him as the other campers saw him; red in the face, unkept, with a beer belly. I also saw him as he was; painfully beautiful as though sculpted from marble, clean shaven, and lean with wildness. And I saw what he could be; a sleek jungle cat, spotted and strong and large as a horse. Somehow, I saw all three images at once like looking through a kaleidoscope. It hurt my head. Dionysus looked at me and all three forms smiled maliciously. 

The microwave dinged. I took my food back to my room. No matter what I ate - vegetables or starch or bread - it all had the taste and texture of raw flesh, freshly torn from the bone. 

After that, I tried even harder to avoid Dionysus. 

The next time I saw him, Percy came into my room and said, “I hear your voice in my head every time I pick up a sword.” Well, he stood on the threshold, not even properly in my room. 

I didn’t know what to say so I kept quiet. 

Percy nodded and then left. He was like this often. Was he like that with others or was it just me that Percy behaved strangely around? 

“You haven’t been outside in a month.” 

I dropped my book. He’d startled me. I could smell the ocean on his skin but I could _always_ smell the ocean here. 

Percy darted forward and picked up my book. He held it out to me. “I’m sorry.” He looked so earnest. What was his angle here? 

It had been a month since I was resurrected. I laid awake at night and waited for the other shoe to drop. He seemed like the type to come in the night and I didn’t want to be off guard. I took the book and set it on the dresser. 

“Let’s go for a walk,” Percy said. He fidgeted, slipped one hand into his pocket where he kept Riptide. 

“Okay,” I said. I followed Percy out of the Big House barefoot. Shoes weren’t something I was allowed anymore. Thankfully Camp Half-Blood was mostly grass and dirt. The forest was where there were pine needles and rocks but I planned to avoid the forest. It was a good place to be ambushed. 

Percy didn’t seem to have a destination in mind because he wasn’t rushing towards one place or another. 

I stayed a couple of feet behind him; stopping when he stopped, walking when he walked. 

Percy kept twisting around to look at me. Finally, he stopped and spun around to face me. “Walk beside me, Luke. You aren’t a dog.”

The Gods had been very clear about what I was. 

I closed the distance so that I stood beside him. With a pang, I noticed for the first time that he was almost as tall as me. Percy still had a few years of growing left. Maybe he would be taller than me by the time he was an adult by mortal standards. 

Percy seemed more at ease now that I was beside him. Was it because he could watch me easier? He led me in a circuit around the Cabins. 

There were dozens more in the process of being built for the children of minor Gods. And some were being rebuilt, like the Hermes Cabin. I recognized a few of the new faces from my army and they avoided my eyes. Percy had asked that they be pardoned but they didn’t want anything to do with me. Most of the new faces, I didn’t recognize. Demigods had been pouring into Camp by the dozens; most of them from landlocked states or so young that I hadn’t bothered to sniff them out to recruit in my army. 

I smelled the blood before I saw it. Not the usual stale blood scent from the Ares Cabin, but stronger and fresh. 

A wall of water intercepted the boars blood that Clarisse had thrown at me. The saltwater and blood sank into the ground, leaving behind a red stain. I was untouched. Percy moved between me and the Ares Cabin, marched right up to Clarisse and got in her face. He didn’t say a word but his expression had twisted into something so fierce it reminded me of Thalia’s shield. 

Clarisse glared down at Percy. She was a foot taller and two times buffer than him yet there was a nervousness in her eyes. 

They glared at each other for a long few moments. Then Percy said, “I'm sorry about Silena. She awaits you in Elysium.”

His words broke through Clarisse’s armor like a spear. The glare cracked and Clarisse turned away from us, but not before I saw the tears rolling down her cheeks. 

Percy jerked his chin at me and walked away from the Cabins. 

We plunged into the woods, following the trail that led from Camp to the ocean. It was clear that no one had been on it for quite a while. Most of the Campers preferred the lake to the ocean. 

Percy sat down in the surf, unbothered by the wet sand. He patted the sand beside him. 

I sat beside him. The water was cold and only went high enough to get my butt wet. My heart pounded like the waves against the rocks. I didn’t like the idea of Poseidon watching us, even though we were on the edge of his territory. 

“I can’t decide if I should apologize for Clarisse,” Percy said. He held his hand out and a tiny, quarter-sized crab crawled onto it. Percy stared at the crab like it was a crystal ball there to tell him the future. Maybe it was. He could talk to sea creatures. 

I gave a half shrug. It didn’t matter. I’d been expecting that and worse. I stared at the snakes around my wrists. 

_“These belonged to young Pandemonius many centuries ago. I gave them to him when he became the Stable Master of Olympus. Of course I had to modify one so that it would do the desired task. We didn’t want anything untoward to happen to our favorite demigod,” Hephaestus said as he clinked the snakes shut around my wrists. I’d never heard of a demigod called Pandemonius. “You should feel honored that we’re letting you have them.”_

Percy replaced the crab in the water. “I can’t really be mad at them. They don’t get it. They think you just randomly decided to go bad.” Percy stared at the ocean, his face blank and distant. “They don’t get it.” 

We sat on the beach until dinner and then Percy walked me back to the Big House. I didn’t eat with the others. “Good night, Luke.”

“Good night, bright eyes,” I said after he left. 

Months passed like this. Percy didn’t come for me every day but he visited a few times a week. We walked around Camp, found a spot away from the others, and generally stayed there until something called Percy away. He always made sure to return me to the Big House. 

Percy skipped a stone over the still surface of the lake. “I’m dating Annabeth.”

“Congratulations,” I said. I’d seen the other Campers throw them into the lake the first day they kissed. And hours later, I’d seen them stumble out of the lake with hair messed and lips swollen and faces red. 

Percy studied my face. “You aren’t...jealous?” he asked. 

I shook my head. “Annabeth is family.” 

That seemed to satisfy him. 

Every night I waited for him. He didn’t come for me. I didn’t ask him about it. The answer seemed clear enough. 

Eventually, I asked Chiron for something to do. “Give me a job, please,” I said. Sitting in the Big House was boring and though I enjoyed my walks with Percy, I wanted to actually do something. I wanted to contribute to Camp. 

Chiron drew up a schedule for me. On Tuesdays, I was to pick strawberries from dusk till dawn. On Thursdays, I was to clean out the pegasus stables and groom them until their coats shone. Fine. I could do that. It was better than the monotony of haunting the Big House. 

Two of my days were completely taken up by my chores. Sometimes Percy joined me, either to help or just to get in my way. If it bothered him that I was doing chores, he never said anything. “Why are you doing this?” 

I put strawberries into a basket. Getting back into the swing of things took a lot of out of me. Being alive was still a strange thing. Once I got used to my two days of work, I would ask for more. There was still other work to be done. The strawberries needed to be processed and prepared for selling, there was a truck in the garage that no longer ran, the weapons in the armory needed to be tended to. I wasn’t sure that they would let me do that last one. I wasn’t allowed to touch a weapon at the moment. “I asked Chiron for work.” 

“Were you bored?” Percy asked. He was picking strawberries too but they went directly into his mouth. His lips were very red. 

“I don’t like being useless,” I said. There was more to it than that, of course. I didn’t want to lose my muscle mass. Percy wanted me outside of the Big House more. I didn’t want to be a doll tucked away and forgotten. 

The jeers and sneers of the other Campers, the way they avoided me and whispered about me as I passed, the attempts to trip me or hurt me, were things that I could handle. The snake around my right wrist took care of any wounds I received, licking the wound until it healed. It was strange but I couldn’t complain. The snake around my left wrist stayed still as though it was nothing more than the gold it was made of. 

Several weeks later, Chiron approached me about resuming my old job as the sword fighting instructor. “Percy asked,” Chiron said and qwelled any protests I had. 

I hung my head. “Okay,” I agreed. 

Chiron explained the new rules to me twice and made me repeat them back to him. He patted my shoulder. “I have faith in you, Luke. And don’t be upset with Percy. He’s trying to help you, but he doesn’t know what you need.” 

I could have protested then. How would Percy know what I need? He hasn’t asked me. He tells me whatever’s on his mind and I listen. If he asks for feedback, then I give it to him. That’s how our relationship currently works. “Yes, Chiron,” I said unhappily. 

Because I don’t eat with the other Campers, I didn’t see how they reacted to the news that the traitor among them would be teaching them sword fighting once a week. Somehow, I didn’t think they would be happy about it. 

They weren’t. 

The next day, I held a sword in my hand. It was the first weapon I’d so much as touched since being resurrected. It felt at once wrong and comforting to hold a blade. 

“Why is he teaching us?” The protest came from a son of Nemesis, Damien White. 

“Because Luke is the best swordsman in three hundred years,” Percy replied. His hands were shoved in his pockets in what should have looked casual but actually looked like he could still kick ass. He was glaring, not his usual heavy glares that could frighten a kid into pissing their pants, but it was still fierce. 

“But you’re the best swordsman in three hundred years,” Billie said. She was a daughter of Demeter. She gave me a nervous look, as though she expected me to cut off her head for the remark. “You beat him.”

Percy shook his head and showed his teeth in a mirthless smile. “Me? Beat Luke Castellan? No. Never. He always let me run away with my tail between my legs.” He gave me a sly, impish smile.

I hadn’t realized that Percy knew that I’d been going easy on him while we fought, that I let him get away. I should have known better. 

“But you won the war!” Yelled a son of Ares, Sherman Young. “You beat Kronos!”

Percy turned his gaze on Sherman. If he’d looked dangerous before, Percy now looked like a god of the northern seas; cold and merciless and entirely alien. “If you think for one second that we would have won the war without Luke, then you’re naïve.” His voice was deep and sounded like the cracking of glaciers. Percy addressed the group as a whole. “Here’s your lot in life as demigods. Either you learn how to fight from Luke or you die. You die when you go home for the year, you die on your quests, you die in our own forest. The choice is yours.” It didn’t sound like a choice. It sounded like a promise. 

Every eye dropped to the ground. There were shudders. A few of them stepped back. But no one left.

I understood, suddenly, that I wasn’t the reason the other campers avoided Percy Jackson.

Teaching sword fighting was something I did once a week. None of the kids gave me trouble. Percy presided over every lesson, watching from somewhere off to the side, eyes sharp and expression daring someone to step out of line. The only time his expression softened at all was when he looked at me. 

A year later. “I saw your dad today, Luke. He sent me on a stupid quest,” Percy said by way of greeting. He was taller, like I’d thought he would be. He flopped onto his stomach on my bed as though it was his. 

I was curled in my chair, reading by the first rays of dawn. In a few hours, I would go to the stables and clean the riding gear. “To do what?” 

Percy sighed. He lifted his feet and toed off his sneakers. They fell onto my floor with a _thunk, thunk._ Apparently he was staying a while. If Percy wanted my time then I would be excused from duties. “Someone stole his caduceus,” he said nonchalantly. “I had to go get it back for him.” An eye roll. 

Someone stole my dad’s symbol of power? And it _wasn’t_ treated like a big deal? Adrenaline flooded my veins in a cool panic. It reminded me that the last person to steal a God’s symbol of power had been me. I’d suffered dearly for it and so had a lot of other demigods.

“I thought he and Annabeth were going to kill each other,” Percy was saying. “I made a deal with him to hook me up with dinner reservations at a nice restaurant because I guess I forgot about our anniversary dinner and Annabeth was so pissed at me. He sent us to Paris, France, after I completed his quest.”

Percy talked about Annabeth a lot this way. Going on a life-threatening quest was no big deal but Annabeth’s anger or annoyance cut deep. They were things to be feared and placated. Usually, Percy came to me stressed out, frustrated, angry, worried because of something Annabeth said to him. I always tried to be helpful but neutral. 

Percy said, “She’s back on Olympus now, of course.” 

“Of course,” I agreed. Annabeth was the official Architect of Olympus. She spent a lot of time rebuilding, a lot of time coming up with new ideas. Most of her time was spent on Olympus. I always knew when she was at Camp because Percy wouldn’t visit on those days. 

“He said not to tell anyone because it’s embarrassing for the God of thieves to be stolen from. As if asking for help from a teenager isn’t embarrassing.” The way Percy talked about my dad was with annoyance but also fondness. I wasn’t sure if he knew how his tone turned to wine while he spoke of Hermes. 

I didn’t answer him. I usually didn’t. Percy seemed happy enough to just have me listen to whatever he was saying. 

Now, he rolled onto his back and pulled one of my pillows to his chest. He watched me upside down. “What are you reading, Luke?”

I told him. 

“Is it good?” Percy asked.

“Yes,” I said. Books were my haven. I read as many as I could, as often as I could. 

“Read some for me,” Percy said. He clutched my pillow, giving me puppy dog eyes as though I had ever denied him anything. 

I read out loud to him. 

The Hunters of Artemis came to Camp Half-Blood for the first time in a year. They took their usual Cabin and stayed as far away from the male campers as possible. Their presence disturbed everything as usual. 

My heartbeat quickened with their presence. Thalia was among them, serving as Artemis’ luiteniet. “We can still be a family,” I said. 

“I want you dead,” Thalia said. Death did not make me forgive her for betraying me and she never apologized for kicking me off a cliff. That was a memory entirely my own and I could still feel the impact of my body hitting the rocks. The memory of breaking my bones made it hard to pull air into my lungs. 

In the year that I had been here, Annabeth had seen me twice and no more. Now that I wasn’t dead and wasn’t evil - that wasn’t my word - she didn’t seem to care about me one way or another. I didn’t expect Thalia to visit at all. 

But she did. Only one time, with the Mist wrapped around her like a cloak, turning her invisible. Even if I couldn’t see through the Mist, I would have recognized her ozone and pine tree scent anywhere. Thalia perched on my open window. 

I stared at her. She looked perpetually fifteen. Percy had said that when she returned, she was still mentally twelve. That explained a lot about her behavior and it made my chest tight to think about. But that was years ago. By now, her brain had caught up to her body. “Hi Thalia,” I said softly. 

Thalia clutched the Mist tighter around her. She didn’t want me to see her. Then she changed her mind. “You should have stayed dead,” Thalia hissed. Then she was gone, leaping off my window and onto the ground with a feline grace. The fall didn’t hurt her. 

I sat on the edge of my bed, tears streaming down my cheeks. It still hurt. I thought it might hurt forever. 

The first time that Percy had shown up in the middle of the night, I thought that would be it. He’d finally come, just when I let my guard down. Percy had swayed in the doorway as though hypnotized. “Luke, are you awake?” His voice was a whisper. 

“I’m awake, bright eyes,” I said softly from where I lay in bed. A year and I still couldn’t bring myself to speak his name when we were alone. I could see him from the moonlight that filtered through my window. 

There were dark stains on his hands, on his clothes. He smelled more strongly of salt; the salt of blood layered on top of his ocean scent. I heard him breathing, uneven and labored. 

“Are you hurt?” I asked. It was a stupid question. Percy still bore the curse of Achilles. He could not be harmed except in his one mortal spot. I didn’t know for sure where that spot was. I wasn’t that intimate with his body but I thought I had a cloudy memory...it was just out of my grasp. 

“No.” Percy looked at his hands. “It’s not my blood. There was…” he paused. When he spoke again, his tone had changed to something distant. “There was a whale calf washed up on the beach. Dying. Something got it and it beached itself trying to get away.”

I propped myself up. He heard their thoughts in his head. They called to him when they needed help and he always answered. “Did it die?”

“Yes.” Percy rubbed his hands together and dried blood flaked to the ground. He caught my eye. “Whales mourn deaths like elephants and humans do and losing a calf is particularly awful. Their voices are so loud…” He winced, as though in pain and swayed again. “The whole ocean hears them mourning.”

Percy could hear them mourning over a calf he had failed to save. We weren’t even a mile from the ocean and whales could be heard for huge distances. He put a hand to his head and blinked. 

I pulled the covers back on my bed. “Come here,” I said as gently as possible. 

Percy staggered into my bed. He wasn’t wearing shoes. They must have roused him from sleep in a last ditch effort. 

I pulled Percy to my chest and held him. There was nothing I could do to block out the whales but he didn’t have to be alone while he heard it. 

Percy’s heart pounded fast against me. He clutched the sheets in both hands. After a few moments, he said, “I can hear your heart beating.”

“I should hope so,” I said back. I was acutely aware of my own heart beat, of the way it suddenly got stronger because of his words. I could feel it beating hard against Percy’s ear.

Percy closed his eyes. “It’s my favorite sound in the world.”

My heart skipped a beat. 

Percy’s breathing evened out as he fell asleep. He was gone before I woke up, the only proof that he had ever been there at all was the flakes of whale blood on my sheets and the wet spot where he’d drooled on my chest. 

I was in the stables, grooming a silver pegasus. His coat was going to shine like coins by the time I was done. The other pegasi already shone, with the exception of the black stallion. His fur was still matte black, dulled by a layer of dust. He wouldn’t let me touch him, was prone to kicking and biting if I came too close. 

Percy sat above us all, legs dangling over the edge of the loft. “Do you want to see your mom?” Sometimes he hit me with hard, gut wrenching questions like this. They were always delivered in the same curious, nonchalant tone of voice.

I swallowed and stared extra hard at the sleek silver fur in front of me. “I haven’t seen her for two years.” It wasn’t an answer and we both knew it. 

Percy’s teeth sank into an apple with a crunch. “I know. But do you want to see her?”

I focused on running the curry smoothly over the pegasus’ flank. What was the answer that he wanted to hear? I wasn’t sure. And I wasn’t sure how I felt about the matter. I didn’t have many good memories of mom. The last time I’d gone to see her had been one of the worst times. It took so much concentration to stop my hands from shaking that I didn’t answer him. 

A few moments later, I heard my name. “Luke?”

I looked up at Percy. “No,” I said finally. “I don’t want to see her again.” We barely even knew each other. Going to see her would just dredge all the pain back to the surface. For both of us. 

“My mom is pregnant,” Percy said. I could tell by his tone that this was an unexpected development for him and he hadn’t yet decided how to feel about it. He added, “Not by a God this time.”

“Congratulations,” I said because that seemed like a safe answer. 

Percy laughed, dry and humorless. “Yeah. She actually gets to keep this one.” Percy hadn’t gone to see his mother in person since the battle in Manhattan. He had said that he didn’t want her to see him like this. I didn’t know what _this_ he was talking about. Percy seemed fairly well adjusted considering everything. “She’s got a new husband, a new kid, a nice new apartment. I think it’s better if I just...fade out of her life.” This coming from the boy who went to the Underworld to save her. It had to be a difficult decision to make. 

I threw the curry brush at Percy. “Brush your nightmare,” I told him.

Percy fumbled with the brush but didn’t drop it. He climbed down from the loft and went into the stall that held the black pegasus. “Blackjack,” Percy said. “You can stop cussing Luke out any time now.” 

Percy stayed at Camp Half-Blood year round and turned eighteen at the end of summer. By mortal standards, he was now a man. By Greek standards, he had been a man for three years already. 

The Camp threw him a party. It was difficult to tell who organized it since the other campers interacted as little as was polite and Annabeth was back on Olympus more often than not. 

That evening, Percy came up to my room with two slices of blue birthday cake. He set one slice beside me. “Do you like cake?”

“Yes,” I said. I liked all food. It didn’t matter what kind it was. “Happy birthday, bright eyes.”

Percy sat on the edge of my bed. “Thanks.” He offered me a pleased smile before digging into his cake. 

I didn’t have a birthday present for him. Maybe tonight would be the night. Maybe all he’d been waiting for was his mortal side to catch up. 

We ate our cake in silence. It was a comfortable silence between us, something we could slip into like silk. 

When the cake was gone, Percy set aside his plate and said, “I want to see the stars.” 

We went to the attic and climbed through a window onto the roof of the Big House. The roof was slightly sloped but falling wasn’t a concern. I stretched out on my back beside Percy, looking at his face. 

Percy stared up at the stars, hands behind his head. “Annabeth couldn’t make it down,” he said. 

I couldn’t make excuses for her so I said, “I’m sorry.”

“She’ll be here tomorrow, though,” Percy said, voice cheery. It sounded fake. 

I laid my hands over my stomach and traced the snake encircling my left wrist. 

“Can I see them?” Percy asked suddenly. “I haven’t seen them up close.” 

I held out my right arm. 

Percy delicately placed his fingers on my wrist and hand, shifting the bracelet closer to his face so that he could see the details in the dark. The pads of his fingers were calloused from years of fighting with a sword. With a finger, he traced the snake from head to tail. Then he tried to squeeze his finger between the bracelet and my skin. He couldn’t. There wasn’t any wiggle room. “Do these hurt?” Concern laced his voice. 

“No.” I was lucky that they didn’t hurt and I knew it. Gods were petty like that. Percy was likely the reason that the bracelets didn’t hurt; the Gods didn’t want to deal with the fallout of Percy Jackson’s rage. 

Percy hummed. He ran his nail over the metal scales, apparently reluctant to give me my hand back. “What happens if you leave Camp?”

“Something bad,” I said. They wouldn’t tell me exactly what the other snake did, only that it would be deeply unpleasant and it wouldn’t kill me. 

Percy traced his finger along the seam where metal met flesh. 

My skin broke out into goosebumps. My heart pounded. I was hyper aware of the feeling of his skin on mine. I couldn’t remember the last time someone touched me, skin on skin. A year ago? Two years ago? 

When he released my wrist, I felt the absence of his touch like a missing limb. 

Annabeth’s return from Olympus was the longest one yet. She was here for a whole two months. She didn’t come to see me once and avoided me on the days I left the Big House for chores or training or because Percy wanted me to accompany him somewhere. 

Percy didn’t visit as often. When he did, he was anxious and restless. He snapped at me, apologized, and endlessly ran his hands through his hair. It was more of a mess now than ever; down to his shoulders and wild from his hands and flying with Blackjack. 

The day Annabeth left to go back to Olympus, Percy stole me away from the stables. “Come for a walk with me,” he begged. “I’ll help you finish the grooming later.” 

I pocketed the mane brush I’d been using to detangle the chestnut mane of a pegasus and then I followed him. We walked to the ocean, along a trail that we had pounded down into something softer than what it had been two years ago. 

Percy’s shoulder brushed mine as we walked. He plopped down in his usual spot in the surf, letting the water get him wet and bring him strength. His shoulders dropped as the tension melted out of him. Percy sighed, long and dramatic. 

For a few long moments I just stared at the rats nest that was currently his hair. Then I kneeled behind Percy and pulled the mane brush from my pocket. Mane brushes were basically human brushes; they would be fine for human hair. 

Percy jumped the second the brush touched the back of his head. He twisted around to look at me. “What are you doing?”

“I’m sick of looking at this mess,” I said and made a gesture towards his hair. 

“Is that brush for horses?” Percy asked. 

There was a joke to be made here, something about saving a pegasus by riding a demigod. I didn’t make it. Now that Percy was eighteen, I laid awake at night again and waited. 

With more confidence than I felt, I turned his head so that he was facing the ocean again. This time, when I touched the brush to Percy’s hair, he didn’t jump.

I took great pains to avoid hurting him or pulling too hard. That meant it took me twice as long to brush his hair into silky smoothness. The way Percy’s hair gleamed after a good brush, I was fairly certain that the brush was magic of some sort. I set the brush down in the sand and impulsively gathered Percy’s hair in my hands. It was black as ink and soft and cool to the touch.

Percy didn’t seem to mind. He sat perfectly still, which was impressive because he was rarely still. “I think I want to grow it out.”

“You’ve got to take care of it if you do that,” I pointed out. There were small shells on the beach. I gathered them up and examined them. Then I moved around to Percy’s front and gathered his bangs from his eyes. 

Percy watched me, eyes bright and curious. He didn’t protest what I was doing with his hair. “That’s what I’ve got you for, right? You take good care of me.”

I didn’t know about that but if Percy thought so, I wasn’t going to argue. I braided the shells into his bangs so that they framed his face. 

“Annabeth’s coming back in a couple weeks,” Percy said. He seemed to want to say more, but hesitated. Some of that restlessness was back in him. 

I hummed acknowledgment. 

Percy didn’t say anymore. When I was done with the shells, Percy made a mirror of water and admired his reflection. “Thanks, Luke.” 

Percy became agitated suddenly though it didn’t seem to be with me. He was restless, full of nervous energy. He started sentences without finishing them. It seemed like he wanted to talk about something but he couldn’t finish the words or force them past his lips. Gray hairs started showing up near his temples. 

“Can I help?” I asked him, a bit desperate. I didn’t like seeing him like this. 

Percy was picking strawberries with me, throwing them at the basket but missing just as often as he hit. The shells in his hair clacked together. He shook his head and the shells clacked harder. “I don’t think so, Luke.” 

It came to a head one evening around one am. I was still up at that hour because I was waiting (endlessly) and could sleep in the next morning if I wanted to. I kept odd hours now that I wasn’t in charge of other people. The book in my lap was about Achilles and his mortal lover, Patroclus, told from the point of view of Patroclus. 

Percy burst into my room so suddenly that I jumped. He didn’t seem to notice, flopping onto my bed with a sigh. He was naked except for a pair of blue boxer briefs and there was a shiny sheen of sweat on his light brown skin. His scent was stronger than usual. This was normal with demigods after doing something physical. It would linger in my sheets and on my pillow for a couple of days at least. 

I stayed sitting in my armchair, unsure of what to do about the intrusion. Percy normally wore more clothing when he came to my room, and it was almost always daylight. “Are you okay?” I asked finally. That seemed safe enough. 

Percy scowled at the ceiling. “Just peachy, can’t you tell?”

Percy’s sarcasm wasn’t lost on me. “You seem about the same as always,” I teased gently. I tried to be careful with my words. Sometimes I sent Percy into a rage without meaning to. 

Percy didn’t respond. 

“Did something happen?”

Another couple moments of silence. Percy’s breathing was deliberate, controlled. He stared at my ceiling the way our ancestors had looked to the stars for answers. “I...I’ve been...informed,” Percy said slowly, choosing each word carefully. “That I’m…total shit.” A long pause. “When it comes to romance.” Another pause, then Percy’s voice lowered to almost a whisper, “and sex.” 

I felt something in the same vein as panic but not quite so strong as the real deal. I looked down at the pages of the book, open to the scene where Achilles and Pateoclus were sharing a bed in their childhood room at the palace. Their tragic love was easier to think about than what Percy had admitted to. But I had to say something because Percy had come to me. “Who told you that?”

We locked eyes; Percy on my bed and me in the armchair. There was no need to name names when we both knew the answer. 

I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. I still loved Annabeth, for all that she had abandoned me. She was still my little sister. But I liked Percy too. I didn’t want either of them to suffer. Kids grew up so fast. I remembered when they were both still small and twelve. Now, Percy was the same height as me. “Why are you…?” I gestured to all of him.

A blush spread from the roots of Percy’s hair and down to his nipples. “I was losing my virginity. I guess. What counts as losing your virginity?” It sounded like he wanted an actual answer. 

I shrugged. My gut was doing strange things knowing that Percy had apparently come from fucking Annabeth straight to me. “It didn’t go well?”

Percy waved his hands around. He sighed, loud and dramatic. “I don’t know. No. It’s not just like the actual event, but all the time leading up to it…” another hand gesture. “She had a list of everything she wanted and a-a checklist for,” Percy glanced at me then back at the ceiling. “For what we were going to do and in what order and for how long.” He sighed. “It was very...clinical.”

That didn’t surprise me. 

“And she was _grading_ me while we were…for the whole thing.” Percy swallowed. His face turned a darker shade of red. 

I felt bad for him. That sounded nightmarish. What an awful way to lose your virginity.

“So, I, um, I kind of left.” Percy admitted. His hand found his hair but he remembered the shells I’d put there and he resisted running his hands through it. He never told me what Annabeth thought of the shells. “Well first I had some words with her and then I left.” 

“Then what happened?” 

Percy tore his eyes from the ceiling to look at me. “Then I came here. And now I’m telling you the most embarrassing, humiliating thing that’s ever happened to me. So far.” 

I dropped my gaze to the snake bracelets around my wrists. “Why would you come to me?”

“I don’t know.” I got the feeling he was lying. “She’s in my Cabin. Can I spend the night with you?”

I sighed. “Take a shower first. Go clean up.” 

Percy grimaced down at himself. He slid off my bed and went to the bathroom next door to shower off. 

I marked my spot and set the book down. Then I changed the sheets on my bed and got out the spare comforter. Lastly, I turned off the overhead light. As soon as I did, a small lamp on my dresser turned on, washing the room in a soft blue light. I couldn’t stand to sleep in the dark anymore. 

We went to bed after that. It was late, after all. Percy didn’t hesitate to climb into bed beside me. He smelled less like sex. A while after going to bed, I felt Percy shaking. It took me a few moments to realize that he was crying without making a sound. 

Aw shit. I was weak against tears. I could leave him to cry but I didn’t want to. I reached for him, brushed my fingertips against his back. 

Percy shuddered and let out a squeak. It was the squeak of someone trying and failing to muffle the sounds they were making. He rolled over and tucked his face beneath my chin to cry into my neck. 

I stroked his hair and his back. I was angry with Annabeth. No one should cry after losing their virginity. If I could have talked to her...I probably still wouldn’t have. Because bringing it up would mean telling her that Percy had come to me. Now that she knew I wasn’t going to die, Annabeth wasn’t really interested in seeing me. Usually I missed her. Right now I didn’t have a nice thing to say to her. 

Percy cried quietly. I don’t think he wanted to be crying but everything about it was controlled so that it was as unnoticeable as possible. He’d mentioned his stepdad a couple of times, mostly in passing, but I got the feeling that the man had been mean. Particularly considering the nonchalant way that Percy had talked about how he and his mother had killed him.

I’m not sure how long passed before Percy wiped his face dry on the sheet. “Sorry for crying. It’s stupid.”

I traced circles between Percy’s shoulder blades. “It isn’t stupid to cry when you’re hurt.”

“You don’t cry.”

I snorted, amused. “Percy, I cry all the time.”

“Really?” 

“I just…cry when I’m alone.” And because I thought he might take that the wrong way, I added, “I don’t want to make my problems everyone else’s problems again.” 

Percy hummed. He rolled onto his back to look at my ceiling again. “I don’t want to see her tomorrow. Later today. Whatever.” He rubbed his face with both hands. “Just thinking about whatever hoops she’s going to want me to jump through is stressing me out.” 

I didn’t say anything. I wouldn’t drive a wedge between them if I could help it. 

Percy was quiet for a long time. Then he said, “I wish they taught us this stuff. Camp. Or school. Somewhere.”

I hummed neutrally. 

Percy turned his face to me. “How did...how was your first time?”

I forced myself to stay relaxed. I swallowed. “I don’t really remember the details. Good, I think.”

“Were you that young?”

I shook my head. “No. But there was magic involved. It...makes your memories fuzzy.” 

Percy frowned. “Oh.” Silence stretched between us. 

I closed my eyes. 

“What were you reading?” It was a blatant change of subject but I didn’t call him out on it. 

“The Song of Achilles,” I replied, eyes still closed. 

“I met him.”

“So did I.” I gave him my first copy of the book before bathing in the Styx because I thought he would want to read it. 

“I’d have liked to meet Patroclus too.”

“Yes.”

“And Briseis.” 

“Her too.”

Silence. Crickets chirped outside the window. “I didn’t get a war prize.”

I opened my eyes. “You’re the only one who got one.”

Percy pursed his lips. “I mean, I asked for what you wanted. And I asked them to bring you back.” 

I waited. 

Percy didn’t speak again. 

Something occurred to me for the first time. “Did they not tell you?” I asked, incredulous. Maybe the Gods were so old that they forgot times had changed. I propped myself up on my elbows so that I could clearly see his face. “Didn’t they tell you?” 

“Didn’t they tell me what?” His eyes slid over to me, confusion in them. They were bright, vibrant even in the darkness. 

My heart skipped a beat. They hadn’t told him. They probably thought that he knew what he was asking for when he asked for my life. “Percy, _I’m_ your war prize.” It was the first time I had said his name since the night I died. 

The tension crackled like lightning between us. 

Percy sat up so fast he almost smacked me in the face. “What!?”

I leaned back to avoid his flailing limbs. Heat rose to my cheeks. “You asked for me.” 

“I just wanted you alive,” Percy said, voice rising. 

“The old ways -“ 

Percy cut me off, “It’s over a thousand years since the old ways were relevant. Your dad carries a cell phone. My dad wears Hawaiian shirts. You can’t tell me they haven’t changed.” 

I shrugged, helpless. “It’s part of my punishment.” My hand found one of the snakes and clasped the metal.

Percy’s gaze was drawn to the motion. He flopped back onto the bed. “Looks like I’m a punishment for everyone.”

I grimaced sympathetically. “I...enjoy spending time with you. But don’t tell the Gods I said that.” They wouldn’t like that I enjoyed being with Percy. As far as they were concerned, death was getting off lightly. 

Percy made a noise that might have been a laugh but it caught in his throat. “A war prize,” he muttered. He covered his eyes with an arm. “What am I supposed to do with you?”

My face warmed further. “Whatever you want to.” 

Percy made a disgusted noise. 

I didn’t take offense to that. I think it was more the idea of a war prize that offended him than me. Hopefully. 

Percy swallowed. “I read that book.” He shook his head slightly. “Well, I listened to the audiobook. While I was running.” ADHD kids didn’t do audio without also doing something physical because they couldn’t focus. 

“I’ve read it three times,” I admitted, allowing this change of subject too. My head was spinning. He hadn’t known. All the times I waited for him and Percy hadn’t even known. 

“Why? There are other books.” They were in the Athena cabin. I rarely left the Big House and I never went into the Cabins. We didn't bring that up. “Does Annabeth know?” Back on the subject of war prizes. 

“If they didn’t tell you, they probably haven’t announced it. But she’s smart enough to know and she spends a lot of time on Olympus.” They probably talk about it. Gods were gossips. Achilles would have killed all of Troy if it meant the Gods would grant him Patroclus as a living again war prize. I wondered if the Gods had bets placed for when Percy Jackson would claim his prize. 

“They gave you to me to fuck,” Percy said flatly.

“And marry,” I said quietly. “If you wanted to.”

Percy peered at me from beneath his arm. “This is the most messed up game of fuck, marry, kill ever.” It was a lousy joke but I could hear the panic in his voice. 

“You got the killing part out of the way,” I said, keeping my voice light. I didn’t hold Percy’s choice against him. I’d asked for it. Literally. 

Percy rolled to face me. “Would you rather fuck or marry me?”

“I have to choose?”

Hurt flashed across his face but his voice didn’t reflect it. “You could choose neither.”

I studied him. His black hair was getting longer and his bangs were braided with small shells that framed his face. His sea glass green eyes practically glowed with vibrancy. His face was clear, features chiseled, skin a warm tan color. He was well muscled, lean and strong like a swimmer, with calloused hands from sword fighting. Percy was handsome. He was sweet and strong emotionally too, smart and intuitive and cutting with his sarcasm. He had a dry, gallows sort of humor. “Both,” I said in a whisper. “I would choose both.”

It was dark but I still saw Percy’s cheeks color with a blush. “Don’t tease me, Luke.” There was a warning in his voice. He would rather sleep in the stables than sleep with another person who was going to hurt him. 

I leaned forward, just a little bit closer to him, giving him plenty of room to run away if he wanted. “I’m not teasing you. I’m serious.”

Percy searched my face, anxiety written into his features. “Because you’re my war prize,” he tried to make it sound like a statement.

I shook my head. “No.” 

Percy kissed me. His lips pressed firmly against mine for about three seconds before he pulled away like he’d been bitten. I hadn’t bitten him. “I’m sorry. I must still be… I didn’t get a chance to, um, finish and…”

I kissed him. He tasted like my toothpaste. His lips chapped against mine because he bit them when he was anxious. I kissed him repeatedly, trying to steal as many as I could before Percy forgot that having a girlfriend didn’t mean you couldn’t also indulge in your war prize. 

Percy pulled away first, breathing unevenly. 

I wanted to chase his lips with mine, kiss him again, but I held back. I looked into his eyes, searching for even the smallest sign that he would let me have him. 

Percy’s eyes were broken glass; damage dealt by someone judging his every action and declaring him lacking. Now he was the one who was silent, the one who didn’t know what to say. 

“I waited for you,” I said and willed Percy to understand. 

“You thought -“

“I thought you didn’t want me.” Even though he had asked for me. Sharing him with Annabeth wasn’t a problem for me, I wasn’t jealous of her. My role had been very clearly and explicitly explained to me by the Gods. What it boiled down to was that Percy owned me. He could do what he wanted with me. His word was law. No one was allowed to interfere in our business, even if he beat me to within an inch of my life. 

I could see how using human beings as war prizes fell out of fashion. 

Indecision was written into Percy’s features. 

I slid my hand across the mattress and clasped his hand. 

Percy squeezed my hand. He dropped his gaze and whispered, “I don’t know what to do.” 

That was why he was here in my bed instead of in his own with Annabeth. “I don’t care.” I leaned forward and rubbed my nose against his. He smelled like the clean ocean, and like my shampoo; both of which satisfied something in me. “I’ll teach you.” 

The kunik made Percy smile and eased some of the worry in his face. He pressed forward to do it back to me. “Okay,” he said quietly. Percy was only in his boxers but I was fully dressed. He had no problems getting my shirt off me, in fact he pulled it off with such an ease that it seemed practiced. His hands shook while he unbuttoned my jeans. “My fucking hands,” he mumbled, voice hiking up with anxiety.

I kissed his eyelids. “There’s nothing wrong with your hands.” 

Once Percy managed to unbutton my jeans and slide the zipper down, I kissed him again. Partially in reward and partially to distract him from his own nerves.

Together we tugged my jeans down and off, discarding them onto the floor. Percy hesitated before hooking his fingers in the waistline of my boxers and pulling them down too. 

The night was hot on my skin. It didn’t matter that we had only kissed a little, or that I’d gotten off earlier in the night; I was already hard. “Do you want to use a condom or no?” I asked. 

Percy stared at me blankly. “Um.” His eyes flitted down to my cock. He looked a little overwhelmed. “Do you think we need one?” This was said in a tone like Percy thought there was a wrong answer. 

I shrugged. The condoms I had were thin and ribbed because the ribbed ones were my favorite. “I’m not worried about STDs since demigods can’t get them or pregnancy for obvious reasons. They make clean up easier though.” Did he use one with Annabeth? Gods, I hoped so. 

“Yeah. Okay. We can use one.” Percy’s face was still red with a blush. 

I reached over to the nightstand and pulled out a pack of condoms and a bottle of lube. But I didn’t jump straight to the main event, so to speak. Instead, I wrapped my arms around Percy’s neck and drew him down to kiss. I threaded my hands through the hair at the back of his head. 

Percy relaxed in increments. He still clearly thought that he was going to do something wrong. Since I was supposed to be teaching Percy how to have sex, I let him roll the condom onto his own cock. “I don’t think I’m going to fit,” Percy muttered. The blunt head of his cock pressed against my hole. 

“You will,” I said with confidence. Here was the thing: I waited for Percy but not passively. This was my first time having sex with a boy and I’d wanted to be prepared. I bought lube, condoms, and a dildo online two years ago and used them regularly. 

Percy was girthier than the dildo; the difference was enough to be noticed but not so much that it intimidated me. He also wasn’t as long, which was great as far as I was concerned because the dildo had always rested uncomfortably deep inside of me. 

“I don’t want to hurt you,” Percy said. He shook as he slid his cock against my taint. His pupils were blown wide with lust. 

I’d fucked myself in the shower earlier tonight, so I thought that this should be easy. I didn’t think I could be any more relaxed than I was. “You won’t hurt me.” I pulled a pillow from beneath my head and put it under my butt for leverage. Then I reached out my hand and guided him to my entrance. It was easier this way; Percy’s cock pushed into me. 

We both stilled, just breathing and looking at each other. It didn’t hurt, exactly, but it was definitely a stretch. 

“I-I think I’m going to cum,” Percy said. His face was scarlet with embarrassment. “You’re so...hot and t-tight.” 

I didn’t want him to cum yet. That was too soon. Not that I would chastise him for it. “Okay,” I said calmly. “Wrap your fingers around the base of your cock. Tight.”

Percy shifted his weight to do what I said. He took a few deep breaths. His shoulders shook. Slowly he relaxed. “Okay. I’m good.” His green eyes looked into mine, searching. “Are you good?” 

I nodded. “I’m good.” I rested my hands on his hips and applied pressure to urge him to move. 

Percy gave short, slow thrusts, once and then twice. “I didn’t get farther than this,” he admitted, shame in his voice. Part of me couldn’t believe that Annabeth had decided after two thrusts that Percy sucked at sex but another part of me could definitely believe it. Not because Percy was bad, but because Annabeth was just like that. The more that Percy moved, the more he did it with confidence, falling into a natural rhythm. The bed creaked with the movements. 

Once Percy got into a rhythm, I moved my hands up to wrap my arms around his neck. I held onto him, matching him thrust for thrust. It felt so good, not just having him inside of me but _finally_ the waiting was over. “Let me kiss you,” I said, putting pressure on his neck to pull him down. 

Percy dropped onto his elbows on either side of my head. His rhythm only faltered a little, before picking right back up. He kissed me, mouth meeting mine then retreating with every thrust. “You-” a kiss “-feel so-” another kiss “-good.” Then he was back up, propped up on his hands to get better leverage. 

“You too,” I breathed. The prostate stimulation was nice, sent pulses of pleasure through my body. But my favorite thing was the drag of his cock against my rim, lighting up the nerves there. Together they were potent, pleasure coursing through me like a river. I wasn’t going to last long either. I tossed my head back, moaning and panting as I rocked up to him. 

“I-I don’t want to cum until you do,” Percy panted. Sweat gleamed on his skin. His chest rose and fell rapidly. 

I nodded and grabbed his hips, forcing him to stop thrusting even though I didn’t want him to stop. I drew Percy closer to me, until he was fully sheathed. His cock pressed right up against my prostate with constant pressure, sending waves of pleasure through me. “Small thrusts, okay? More...more like a grind.” 

“Okay,” Percy said and did as I’d instructed. Small movements of his hips, that hit just right. He bit his lip while he watched me, eyes flitting between my face and my dick like he wasn’t sure which he wanted to see more. 

It felt so good. Precum rapidly pooled on my stomach. My cock was practically drooling with it. My legs shook on either side of Percy’s hips. Sometimes I strained up to meet him, adding just enough pressure that I saw stars. 

Percy licked his lips. “I want to taste it,” he whispered, more to himself than to me. He was staring at my dick, watching the pool of precum grow. 

Pleasure sparked at his words. My cock twitched and I came on my stomach and chest. Now the grinding was too much stimulation, had me trembling with an overload of feeling. “Too much!” I gasped. 

Percy froze. The anxiety came back to his expression. 

I caressed his cheek. “I’m just sensitive after an orgasm,” I said. “It feels too good.” I pushed myself up to kiss Percy. 

He made a distressed noise in the back of his throat. 

“You’re doing fine,” I promised. He was doing better than fine. “Pull out, okay. Slowly.” 

Percy did, easing out of my body with a groan. He trembled with want, looked at me like I was water and he was dying of thirst. “What -“

“Take the condom off.” I distracted him, kissing his face and neck. 

Percy carefully peeled the condom off. The inside was slick with clear precum. He was a bit clumsy but he managed to tie it off and discard it onto the nightstand. His cock was a pretty shade of red, swollen and leaking. “Luke,” Percy begged. 

I fell back onto the mattress. “Come here,” I said and beckoned him closer. 

Percy tilted his head, confused. 

I pulled him up by the hips, urging him to crawl over me. “Come here, come here, come here so I can reach you.” 

Percy did, face red and legs shaking. At least until his cock got close to my face. Then he balked. His cock left a trail of precum from my navel to my throat. 

“I want to suck you off,” I said. I smoothed my hands along Percy’s back. 

Percy whined. He jumped at my touch, skin breaking out into goosebumps. Then he wiggled until my hands slid down to his ass. “You really want to?” He asked me. 

I nodded, reaching for him again. “I don’t have a gag reflex and you won’t hurt me so just focus on cumming, okay?” 

Percy nodded. He finally let me pull his cock into my mouth, slid all the way to the back of my throat. The tremble in his legs hadn’t stopped and Percy gave a needy moan.

The reason I didn’t have a gag reflex was because I’d practiced on the dildo until I stopped choking. I was glad for that now, glad that I’d trained myself to take a dick and that I’d had the time to practice before doing it on the real thing. That being said, I drooled around Percy’s cock. I liked the salty flavor and the weight of it and the way the head scraped the back of my throat. 

It took a few moments but once Percy realized that I actually wasn’t being hurt, he stopped holding himself back quite so much. He watched his cock slide into my mouth and back out, wet with my saliva, and the look on his face was almost enough to get me hard again. Percy came quickly, cock only partially in my mouth, with a small whimper. 

I swallowed what cum was in my mouth and wiped the rest of it on the sheets. Then I sat up and kissed Percy hard. I slid my tongue into his mouth, let him taste himself on me, and revelled in the novelty of kissing him again. I kissed Percy hard and filthy and prayed that it was good enough to wipe away the hurt Annabeth had caused him...and that it was good enough to make him want to stay, to want me again. 

I woke with the rising of the sun and of voices from downstairs. Though I couldn’t make out the exact words being said, I did recognize the timbre of Annabeth and Chiron’s voices as they spoke. I knew what Chiron was telling her; that because Percy had chosen me as a war prize, she wasn’t allowed to interrupt us when he wanted to spend time with me. And also, my dear, I imagined in Chiron’s voice in my head, Percy asked for Luke before you two were dating so technically you’ve been stepping on Luke’s toes this entire time. 

I didn’t want to drive a wedge between them, even after she had been so awful to Percy, but I felt satisfaction that Annabeth was turned away from the Big House and wouldn’t be able to interrupt us. There was nowhere we had to be today and I didn’t intend for us to leave the bed for a long time. 

Percy was still asleep in my arms, which I knew because he was drooling on my chest again and he only drooled when he was asleep. 

I thought that it would be nice to wake him with a blow job, and slowly eased out from beneath him. Percy slept deeper than he normally would, worn out from the emotional and physical exertions of the night. He didn’t wake even when I rolled him onto his side. There had been no reason to redress when we were done last night, so we were both gloriously naked. I saw him naked in the light for the first time and my mouth watered. I slid down the bed so that my face was level with his cock and slowly licked a hot stripe along the length. 

Percy was soft but the more I licked him, the harder his cock got until he was fully filled out. He made soft mewling noises, quiet moans of pleasure, but didn’t yet wake. 

I took him in my mouth, sucked lightly. The weight of his cock against my cheek was nice and I liked the flavor of his skin. I pulled my head back, dragging my lips along the satiny length of his shaft. I liked the mushroom head of his cock against the roof of my mouth and rubbed my tongue against the glands on the underside of his cock. 

More moaning, a little louder. Percy’s hips made an aborted motion, just the smallest of jerks towards my mouth. He was still drooling onto the pillow, eyes still closed. The salt of precum filled my mouth as his cock leaked. 

I lowered my gaze from his face and pushed my lips forward until my nose touched his black pubic hair. I hadn’t been lying to him last night; I didn’t have a gag reflex. Taking him into my throat was simple enough. I bobbed my head, making a rhythm and breathing through my nose. 

Percy’s hips jerked, still not full thrusts but more pronounced than before. He let out a needy whine, hands curling in the sheets. He would probably wake up soon. 

I was getting turned on watching the way he reacted in his sleep, how his moans were softer and his thrusts were easy when he wasn’t worried about impressing me. My cock lay heavy between my legs and I stroked myself with the hand that didn’t rest on Percy’s hip. 

Percy was slow to rouse from sleep, still mostly under its spell when his hand found my hair. He didn’t grip my hair tightly, just rested his palm on my head and moaned when I hollowed out my cheeks. 

When I’d blown him last night, I thought the amount of precum he made was a fluke. Usually that much only came from prostate stimulation. But no, Percy just made an excess of precum naturally. Maybe one day he would let me milk his prostate and see just how wet I could get him. 

Percy came suddenly, uttering a broken, sexy little noise that made my cock ache. He shuddered and stilled as he emptied his seed into my mouth. It was hot and salty.

I pulled off him long enough to swallow, then kissed and licked the head of his cock. What could I say? I liked the taste and the texture. 

Percy whined from over stimulation, drawing his hips back. He was awake now, though he still looked sleepy, eyes fixated on me. Percy urged me up to kiss me, tongue darting into my mouth to taste himself on me. He pressed his body against mine, trapped my erection between our bodies. His hand slid down to curl around my cock. 

I moaned against his lips as pleasure warmed through me. My hips thrust up into his hand, the head of my cock rubbing against Percy’s abdomen. 

Percy learned fast. He kept his lips to mine, kissing me almost lazily, tongue rubbing against mine. His hand moved up and down steadily, twisting his wrist on the upstroke. The calluses on his hands felt good against my sensitive skin. 

My orgasm was a slow build up, warm pleasure slowly building. I came on Percy’s abdomen, fingers in his hair and lips against his. 

“Good morning, Luke,” Percy said. He rubbed his nose against mine before pulling back to see my eyes. 

I kissed him, chaste and sweet, then rubbed our noses together to draw a smile from him. “Good morning, bright eyes.”

**Author's Note:**

> Pandemonius (Demon) is a son of Pan from the series Beasts Of Olympus. It's really good, definitely worth a read.


End file.
